


On the Razor's Edge

by BarPurple



Series: Tonsorial Art [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hopeful Ending, Mentions of Past Murder, Mentions of miscarriage, Mentions of past cannibalism, Villains trying to become good guys, mentions of past rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:33:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6336322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sweeney Todd has been in Storybrooke for a little while, but if he wants to make the strange little town his home there is someone he needs to have an honest talk with first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Razor's Edge

**Author's Note:**

> Please heed the tags. If you know the story of Sweeney Todd you'll understand that this is not going to be a cheerful conversation.

Emma looked up from her paperwork, (seriously no sheriff in any other town had to deal with complaints like ‘he stole my golden egg laying goose’), and the sight that greeted her was that of her least favourite leather clad Brit.

“Hello Mister Todd.”

The demon barber of Fleet Street eased himself into the chair opposite her and placed his long fingered hands flat on the desk before him. Emma wondered if Killian had given him lessons in how to keep his hands in sight at all times, the movements certainly didn’t appear to come naturally to the man.

“Jones has suggested my time in this town will go more smoothly if you and I have a little chat Miss… Sheriff Swan.”

Jones, he always called Killian by his given surname, how long had these two known each other? Emma tucked away the question for now and asked;

“What does he think we need to talk about Mister Todd?”

Todd carefully aligned a stray ballpoint pen with the edge of the desk.

“You’re gentleman pirate believes you are having some difficulties with me because of my apparently musical past,” His lips quirked at the reference to the musical, had Killian shown him that on Netflix already? Todd continued, “I would like to correct any misconceptions that you may have about me with an honest and frank discussion.”

Emma nodded slowly, she didn’t trust this man, not yet, but wasn’t Storybrooke the haven for not-so-fictional characters on the mend?

“Have you got your razors on you right now?”

Todd sat back in his chair and ever so slowly dipped his hands into the pockets of his vest. With a graceful roll of his hands he pulled out the pearl inlaid tools of his trade. He almost put them on the desk, but stopped short and offered them on open palms to Emma.

“Would you be happier to be holding these while we spoke?”

It was a gesture designed to put her at ease, so Emma was instantly on edge. She shifted the masses of paperwork clearing a space on the desk. She nodded to the empty wood between them. With a bow of his head Todd positioned the straight razors in the perfect centre of the desk, before returning his hands to their former resting place on the edge of the desk. This man’s OCD was obvious to Emma and so extreme it made her feel messy. His head cocked to the side and he asked;

“What is it you think you know about me?”

Emma took a deep breath, Killian’s personal history had given her the experience that what she thought she knew from movies and stories wasn’t always the truth, but it did colour her expectations of the famous names and that was really why Todd was here, to help her understand the man not the myth. Best she start with the basics.

“Is your real name Benjamin Barker?”

Todd winced a little, but nodded slowly;

“It was, a long time ago. I prefer not to be called that now.”

“Okay Mister Todd,” he smiled his thanks, “You had a wife that a judge took a fancy to and he had you deported on fake charges to get you out of his way?”

A hint of a snarl curled Todd’s usual placid features.

“Took a fancy to? Is that what rape is called here?”

Emma raised an eyebrow and waited, she could see him calming himself to tell the reality he had endured. When he spoke his tone was low and dangerous, that of a man just clinging to the present while reliving his past.

“Judge Turpin set his eye on my wife and sent her all manner of gifts, things I could never afford to give her, she returned them all, until one day he arrived at our home while I was at work and forced himself upon her in the vilest way a man can. I came home to find him atop of her. I beat him bloody with my bare hands. The only reason his throat wasn’t opened on my lovelies was Joanna begged me not to become a killer.”

Todd swallowed hard against the lump of bitter memory in his throat. His fingers reached out to caress the pearl inlaid handles of his razors. Emma quelled the defensive twitch that rose in her; he needed this, as unsettling as she might find the action, Todd needed its reassurance. The barber balled his hands into lose fists, with drawing them from the tools of his trade and placing his hands in his lap. His calm, cold eyes met Emma’s.

“She, my Joanna, had found out she was carrying our child not two days before. Turpin’s rape caused her to lose the babe. I was transported for my attack on the judge. It took me a decade, but thanks to Jones, I found my way home.”

Emma held bit her tongue, she wanted to know what part Killian had played in this story, but she could tell Todd wasn’t finished.

“I returned home to a grave on unconsecrated ground where they had buried my wife because she’d slit her own throat,” He nodded at the straight razors on the desk, “The first blood my lovelies ever drank was hers.”

Again Emma waited, her own emotions nothing compared to the pain on the face of the man opposite her; Todd blinked and took a deep breath before clearing his throat. The sense of madness had receded from his voice when he spoke.

“Jones suggests that your distaste for me arises from the actions I took on my return. I do not deny that I slit throats and yes, Mrs Lovett took prudent advantage of the bodies I left in my wake. Does it help that I never consumed a morsel of the long pork my vengeance provided?”

Emma mulled this fact over. Oddly it did feel better to her that although he’d killed he hadn’t eaten his victims. Was that strange? She didn’t know and she suspected the only person she could ask about this was Gold, who would consider the question and probably not even freak out over the grizzly nature. She chose not to dwell on the fact that unsuspecting customers had eaten what had Todd called it, long pork. From the little Killian had told her about Todd’s time food was hard to come by and no one batted an eyelid at eating cat or rat. She shuddered slightly at the idea and focused on the matter at hand. Todd was still and patient waiting for her response. All she could go on was her own instinct and right now this man was getting all green lights.

“Did you kill the Judge?”

“Yes, my vengeance is complete.”

“And why are you here, in my town, now?”

“Whispers suggest that this is the one place in all the realms where a villain can start over. I didn’t believe it, until I found that Captain Hook is the sheriff’s lover and that sheriff is not a corrupt distortion of the law, but an honest and righteous saviour and that Captain Hook of old is but a memory. I ask only for my chance Emma Swan, and if I err on my path to redemption rest assured that Killian Jones will destroy me before I stray far.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed. Todd made the distinction between Hook and Killian in a way that few others did. She was going to have a long conversation with Killian about this barber, but right now Todd needed to know exactly where he stood.

“That task won’t be on Killian, a step toward the dark side and I will stop you.”

Todd smiled and carefully extended his hand to her.

“In the parlance of our mutual pirate friend, have we an accord?”

Emma took his hand and shook it firmly. Her superpower believed him, Killian believed him, Henry liked him and that was enough for her; she’d given villains a chance on far less.

"Welcome to Storybrooke Sweeney Todd."


End file.
